Jeremy Houser on Biotech as Public Infrastructure
Co-Founder, Houser Labs
Editor’s Note
Brave Builders is a series highlighting founders, scientists, and operators who are shaping the future of biotech with clarity and intention. The focus is on people who build with purpose, create durable value, and bring thoughtful leadership to a field that often moves faster than its underlying systems.
Jeremy Houser is co-founder of Houser Labs, a nonprofit biotech incubator and manufacturing organization based in Fargo, North Dakota. His work challenges the assumption that cutting-edge biotech must be concentrated in a handful of expensive coastal hubs, offering a different model rooted in community, access, and long-term thinking.
What problem are you solving and why does it matter?
Nearly all U.S. biotech infrastructure sits in about ten cities, and doing research in those places can be inaccessibly expensive for startups. I want to create a future where innovators no longer have to choose between living in their home communities and pursuing their research aspirations.
What is the most misunderstood part of your science, platform, or approach?
The role nonprofits can play in the biotech space is quickly growing, yet many people assume they cannot drive commercialization or generate revenue. I believe biotechnology infrastructure is a critical public utility, and Houser Labs is committed to providing it at an accessible cost.
There are now multiple examples of nonprofit research groups and manufacturers commercializing technologies that do not have the return-on-investment potential to attract for-profit companies. If we want a pragmatic biotech sector capable of solving a wide range of real problems, nonprofits need to be part of that conversation.
Where do you see a gap between the value you are creating and how the industry currently measures value?
More than 100 biologics on the market will face the end of their patent exclusivity in the next decade, yet only about 10% have biosimilars in development. Not coincidentally, those tend to be the most profitable drugs.
Our goal is to build a system that supports the other 90%. Doing so creates the conditions necessary for new cures for rare diseases, more affordable vaccines for neglected tropical diseases, and many other innovations currently left behind by the industry’s incentive structure.
What decision or belief has shaped your work or company the most this year?
Fargo is going to become the biotech hub of the future.
This belief began with a few visionaries, but over decades it has spread throughout the community and inspired a sense of possibility for people like me. It has shaped where we build, what we build, and how we build it. We all know this place has something unique to offer, and we are willing to brave blizzards to prove it.
What are you building toward that you think will matter more in ten years than people realize today?
The incubator facility we are building is just one step in the lifecycle of a local biotech company. Our real measure of success is how many startups grow into the community and expand their operations here.
A diverse base of local companies creates a resilient ecosystem and a positive feedback loop for innovation. The groundwork we are laying today is important, but true progress is measured in decades.
Houser Labs blends lab space, manufacturing support, and STEM outreach. How do these pieces fit together into a coherent strategy for regional innovation?
If you are trying to build a self-sufficient biotech hub, you need an integrated approach. We think of this as a value chain with three links: research, testing, and commercial production.
Our goal is to ensure all three links are available locally, which requires both dedicated infrastructure and a trained workforce. Bringing these resources together under one roof allows smoother and faster commercialization of new technologies.
Many emerging founders worry that building outside major hubs will limit their chances. What would you tell them?
Building outside established biotech hubs takes bravery, and building in Fargo takes a little extra in the winter. But the reward is something you cannot replicate elsewhere: a community that genuinely cares.
Biotech innovation becomes a source of pride in smaller communities. You have the opportunity to make an outsized impact in less crowded markets, and stepping away from the hype can restore a sense of pragmatism and purpose.
How do you think about designing biotech infrastructure that strengthens a community rather than displacing it?
I believe our facilities should be places where trust is built between innovators and the broader community that supports them. The most important step is embedding scientists into the community as neighbors, mentors, and collaborators.
Our model ensures that the benefits of biotech growth are captured locally through workforce development, partnerships with existing institutions, and indirect growth in adjacent industries. This is how we inspire the next generation to reimagine what is possible in their own backyard.
Strong case for biotech decentralizaton. The nonprofit angle makes a lot of sense when you're targetting that 90% of biologics without biosimilar potential. It's kind of wild how much innovation probably gets left on the table just bc the traditional VC model can't see a path to massive returns. Fargo becoming a hub sounds ambitious but honestly the community buy-in piece might be the actual unlock here.